The President's Message
Dennis Mar, President, League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula
This president's message is not about policy or action. I need to mention a number of people before 2009 slips entirely away from memory.
Milestones
The League lost several members in 2009 not yet acknowledged: Anita Arellano, Dorothy Hunt, and Natalie Eberly. Anita and Carl Pohlhammer were household members of the League. When I was treasurer, Anita liked to give me a hard time over the fact that the LWVMP didn't take credit cards for payments. Sorry Anita, I never got around to it.
Natalie Eberly was an active community volunteer. The League was only one of her many activities. Dorothy Hunt led a quiet life at a Pacific Grove retirement home. When she died no obituary was published. Like her last years, she passed on quietly.
Jobs Well Done
Since the new board took office last July, three board members have had to resign: our Social Policy director, a Co-webmaster, and the Vice President for Administration.
All contributed their ideas and energy to the board.
Since one of the goals of the League is to train members for greater community responsibility, no one can begrudge our Social Policy director for resigning from the board so that she can run for political office.
The Co-webmaster is teaching mathematics and statistics at Monterey Peninsula College.
Best wishes in improving numerical literacy on the Central Coast.
Fortunately he will continue with his work of putting the monthly meeting presentations on local access television and on the Internet.
Our Vice President for Administration would say that the spirit is willing but her back is not.
She needs time to care for herself.
Election Workers
League volunteers provided the staff to operate the polling places for two Pacific Grove precincts during the November 2009 election.
The intensity may have been much less the November 2008 Presidential election because the Pacific Grove ballot only contained a single contest.
But the job of conducting the election remained the same: greeting voters, checking them off the roster, knowing the rules, protecting the integrity of the voting process, and handling special situations with always a positive attitude.
While the League receives benefit from this activity (League workers donate their compensation from the Election Department to the League as a fund raiser), I think it is of greater importance that the League does its part to insure that the last step of an election is done correctly and with courtesy. Thanks to League members and friends of the League for working at the polling places. And special thanks to our Treasurer for serving with me as a precinct inspector. That's a 16 hour day.
Training for Candidates
Leadership Monterey Peninsula and Leadership Salinas Valley have organized a seminar for anyone interested in running for public office or working on a campaign.
The LWVMP is a co-sponsor and a financial supporter of the program.
Four 2-hour sessions will address the challenges and the skills needed. Topics will include application timeline, filing of required documents, campaign team, finance laws and reporting, fundraising, working with the media, getting endorsements, and impact on family and work.
The sessions are 6:00 to 8:00 pm, February 11, 18, 25, and March 4, 2010, at York School. The cost is $20. For more information or to register, e-mail info@leadershipmonterey.org or call 831-649-8252.
